What is The 52 Project?
We wrote this introduction as we started the project. Little did we know what it would become! Read on for a full explanation of the hormones we spent 2021 talking about in the tips and onwards into the book.
#Tip52 – Pass it on
Pass on what you have learned.” This is one of the very best habit-stacks that you could do and entwined in every aspect of The 52 Project
#Tip51 – Offer it
When you make an offer (of help or support) to someone, your mirror neurones start firing – Dr Iain explains all with Jen & Dulcie
#Tip50 – Play
We were joined by Sara Sibai all the way from Beruit to talk about how play is actually being more ‘grown up’ than trying to be ‘grown up’.
#Tip49 – Joy Of Missing Out – JOMO
Is there really such a thing as the Joy of Missing Out (JOMO)? More to the point, what’s the science?
#Tip48 – Slow it Down!
In the chaotic time that December often is, tip 48 looks at slowing down to help you feel better and take time to refocus
#Tip47 – Speak it Out
It is possible to wire your brain for success – tip 47 looks at the power of affirmations and the brain science that goes with them
#Tip46 – Perfectly Imperfect
Tip 46 actively challenges the perfection agenda – and how our imperfections actually add to who we are
#Tip45 – Trust it
Is there science behind trusting your intuition? Of course there is – otherwise we wouldn’t have a tip about it…
#Tip44 – Keep it
Dr Afiniki Akanet joined us this week for what we think is potentially the ultimate habit stack
#Tip43 – Fright it
It’s good to include a little bit of fright in your life! Louise Sugden, Paralympic medal winning power lifter, joined Iain, Dulcie & Jen to explain how changing sports was so scary – but so rewarding
#Tip42 – Make it Red
This week we were joined by our special guests Nick & Perry from the Big Table group who helped us discover why a glass of red wine on a regular basis might be good for us…
#Tip41 – The Best Medicine
Dulcie in her campervan, Dr Iain in his comedy shirt and real life comedian Joe Rowntree talk the science of laughter and why laughing is part of being human
#Tip40 – Gaze
We have looked to the stars from ancient times. Echos of the stars and the heavens are seen in all sorts of facets of human history. So whats the draw today? And why should we care?
#Tip39 – Keep Your Feet on the Ground
This week, Dulcie braved her garden barefoot and Dr Iain explains about atoms, grounding and the benefits of walking outside without your shoes on.
#Tip38 – Be Abstract
Most off us associate playing with paint as a childhood activity – but actually there’s some amazing science that tells us why it’s SO good for adults too.
#Tip37 – Wait for it
From planting bulbs in the autumn to flower in the spring to leaving Malteasers on your desk for a week – the power and discipline of waiting is incredibly good for you!
#Tip36 – Managing Monsters
We’re not talking about cute, cuddly monsters – we’re talking about the ones that really don’t help us in our day to day lives and how questions can help tame them
#Tip35 – Bookend Your Day
How we start and finish our day can make a huge impact on what happens in the middle – our mindset and our wellbeing.
#Tip34 – Find Your Flock
Being part of a flock (or flocks) that share values, vision, beliefs and journeys on a flexible and dynamic basis is really good for you – Jen and Dr Iain explain more
#Tip33 – Cut it Out
Do you rely caffeine to get through the day; to wake up, keep focused and stay energised? For many, if not most of us, starting the day habitually includes boiling the kettle to make a cuppa – and it’s not all bad. However…
#Tip32 – Mind Your Language
earning a new language could sound like another one of those time-consuming activities that just takes up too much time and energy especially when you could be doing something else. The reality is you could be really missing out if you don’t. Learning a new language provides huge benefits for your brain and your productiveness.
#Tip31 – Let it Go!
Lots of big questions this week – looking at what it is in our lives that we can let go to help us move forward and live better
#Tip30 – Make Something of it
This week we’re talking about the power of crochet and why doing something with both hands that lets you focus on creating something can do wonders for you – like Tom Daley shows!
#Tip29 – Breakfast Brain
We weren’t entirely sure about featuring this tip as it seemed a bit hardcore – however, Katie Maycock busted some myths and explained how fasting actually helps your brain and body to function better
#Tip28 – Mood Hoovers
Mood hoovers are those small things (and sometimes bigger ones) that give you little doses of sadness, regret or guilt. With guest Dave Rogers, we look at how to remove those mood hoovers from your life to make you feel better
#Tip27 – The One Thing
We all know that feeling of becoming overwhelmed because our ‘to do’ list has too much on it and we don’t know where to start. We want to share a tip with you that you can do instead of the worrying, which will actually enable you to use your brain fuel to get the ‘to do’ list down.
#Tip26 – Ripple Effect
We are social creature that have actually evolved to benefit from doing acts of kindness for each other – for others in our tribe or species. When we give, we can actually receive almost more than we give away in the process.
#Tip25 – Game On!
Computer games can get a bad press. We were inspired to find out the real science behind the headlines after a couple of things happened in our real lives. In a nutshell it turns out that playing games (as always we use the caveat “in moderation”) can have loads of different health and wellbeing benefits.
#Tip24 – Sleeping In Sync
Sleep is an incredibly important part of our brains’ activities. I mean why would ours spend so much time doing it if not?
We invited professional sleeper, commercial pilot, HIV positive activist and a super The52Project experimental partner James Bushe (aka @bushepilot) to talk about his experiences so that we might all get more in sync with our own body clocks and rhythms.
#Tip23 – Time to Reframe it
As Stephen Covey said: “the problem is not the problem; the problem is how we see the problem.” In other words, perspective alters our perception and our perception/s alters our reality – in fact our perception becomes our reality, whether it is actually real or not…
#Tip22 – Flip it!
The idea this week is to use a 21st century tool most of us carry with us most of the time – a smart phone – to take pictures upside down, from down low, sideways, through objects and off reflective surfaces such as puddles. The science here is to challenge and see what else we can see by changing our perspectives.
#Tip21 – Hugs Matter
Now that we’re allowed to (carefully) in the UK, we’re looking at hugging, scruffy dogs and why physical connection is good for us
#Tip20 – Roll with it!
This week’s top tip has so much science involved we can barely contain ourselves – and it’s all about how rolling a tennis ball under your feet can reduce stress and more…
#Tip19 – Blink or you’ll miss it!
This week’s top tip is that blinking, taking a moment to take a mental ‘snap shot’, can really help us remember the positive moments in our lives, so that we not only remember them but reflect and see more of these kind of events in the future.
#Tip18 – Sing it Out!
Whilst your family might not thank you for belting out your favourite tunes in the shower, or whilst hoovering or whilst dancing at a party after a little too much fizz, you go on ahead – you are doing great things for your immune system and adding to your oxytocin reserves.
#Tip17 – Colour Matters!
The colours we wear, the colours we choose to paint our rooms with those we choose to accessorise our homes and ourselves with can affect our mood and our behaviours.
#Tip16 – Brew & Dance
This tip is so simple many of you may already occasionally do this without thinking about it – especially if, like us, you are parents that like to embarrass your children… What is it?
#Tip15 – Be Smelly!
Smell is an incredibly evocative sense. We suspect most of you will know what it feels like to have a sudden rush of emotion and memory when you unexpectedly catch a scent that takes you back…
#Tip14 – Plant Power!
Beetroot juice is good for you?? Really? Studies show that it can have an impact on how mentally sharp you are and that it can help people train faster for longer. Intrigued?? So were we…
#Tip13 – Treat Yourself!
We thought we would bring the science of why chocolate (in moderation) is good for you – and why ‘treating’ yourself to an edible or any other reward actually works as a way to feel good and perform better.
#Tip12 – Playlist for Life
Whether it’s an absolute banger, a power ballad, the cheesiest disco pop possible, heavy rock, opera, classical, purely instrumental, hip hop, nature sounds or trance, we want to know what music you use to get yourself into a different zone or place.
#Tip11 – Small Moments Matter
There is plenty of evidence to suggest that improving and maintaining our connection with nature, especially by immersing ourselves in it, can calm us down and improve our sense of balance and wellbeing.
#Tip10 – Keep Smiling!
When we smile our brains release a cocktail of neurotransmitters that we have already spoken about as having a positive impact on our mood and wellbeing: dopamine and serotonin (also called 5-HT) as well as endorphins – our self-made natural painkillers. These help lower anxiety and increasing feelings of happiness.
#Tip9 – Time Travel
So confession time: Back to the Future is probably one of our favourite films of all time. Now this probably says a lot about our age. As science geeks we have been speaking about what if we could time travel – and then it hit us when talking to a colleague and therapist Mark Evans that we already have all the equipment we need(ish) in our own brains.
#Tip8 – Pay Attention!
Two tips in a week! Firstly, try using your non-dominant hand (really!) and secondly, pay attention – we’ll explain all.
#Tip7 – The Power of a Pint
Each night before you go to bed, get a pint of water and put it by your bedside. This is not to drink during the night (so you might need 2 glasses if you sip during the night). This pint is especially and exclusively to drink first thing in the morning when you wake up.
This idea is so simple, it’s hard to believe it can do so much good. But before we get into the science of why, in this case, simple is sensational, let’s talk about why it’s good to be prepared.
#Tip6 – Do the Plank!
Strength training can give you many of the daily wellbeing and stress protective benefits without all the sweat – literally! So this week we will be talking about a tip that can truly help you get your quick daily exercise hit, with the benefits, with way less of the faff. The plank!
#Tip5 – And Breathe!
We are finding out that a truly life changing tip is as simple as a quick morning breathing exercise to set us up for the day.
#Tip 4 – Morning Sunshine!
The right light at the right time is really good for our bodies and brains. Try morning sunlight in particular if you are feeling low. It might just be a brilliant thing to introduce into your morning to boost your whole day!
#Tip3 – Grateful Thoughts – with a boost! Write them down!
Thinking about what you are grateful for is proven to release dopamine into your body. Writing those things down gives you a double whammy! – Serotonin release too!
Read More #Tip3 – Grateful Thoughts – with a boost! Write them down!
#Tip2 – Warm Afternoon Bath
OK so this one is really easy to explain! At least twice a week, take a hot bath in the afternoon for 30 minutes. Ideally, follow it by another 20 minutes taking it easy and staying warm.
#Tip1 – Cold Showers
At the end of your normal hot shower, you turn the dial and make it cold for the last 30 seconds. A quick blast of freezing cold water that jolts your body and mind, that science suggests might be really good for us for all sorts of reasons – some we don’t even understand properly yet.